FOXBORO – Tom Brady may be on one of the shakiest stretches of his last few seasons but he’s only focused on one statistic.
The Patriots improved to 12-3 Sunday with a 37-16 win over the Bills and can post a 13-win season if they can beat the New York Jets next week. That’s what Brady says he’s excited about, not the six interceptions he’s thrown in the last five weeks.
“You just have to find ways to win, whatever it is,” Brady said. “You just keep competing as hard as you can for 60 minutes and I don’t think you take anything for granted. You don’t take a play off. Anything can happen. That’s what’s playing 16 games is all about. It’s not easy it’s a marathon for everybody.”
Brady, and the Patriots as a whole, played through a rocky first half that the Bills controlled. The big play came on an assist from the legendary quarterback.
After the Patriot defense made a big play by stopping the Bills on a fourth-and-two play from the 6-yard line early in the second quarter, the Pats took over. On third down, Brady looked for newly acquired Kenny Britt but the two clearly weren’t on the same page. Buffalo’s Jordan Poyer jumped the route, made a clean interception and rambled 19 yards for a touchdown.
Brady shook off the Pick Six nicely, thanks largely to an assist from Rob Gronkowski. On the next possession the Pats put together a nice drive that was capped by a spectacular TD catch by the All-Pro tight end. Brady isolated Gronkowski in the end zone where he made a one-handed grab for the score.
“It was a great catch,” Brady said. “I was trying to give him a chance and it was probably a foot further back than I wanted to (but) he’s just an incredible player. It was a huge play in the game.”
The game was tied 13-13 at the half but Brady was far from done. While he spurted, the Bills faded. Brady completed all nine of his second half passes for 105 yards. Included was a 12-yard screen pass to Dion Lewis that the little man took in for a game-deciding touchdown.
“He’s been incredible,” Brady said of Lewis. “He came in this year and you can’t say enough good things about him and what he’s done.”
The Patriots have now won 12 or more games for eight straight seasons, an NFL record. Brady and his teammates are only looking for one more win, one that would lock up home field advantage in the upcoming playoffs.
“With one game to go, a chance to go 13-3 would be pretty special,” he said.